IndySlotCar 500th Grand Prix - Bermuda Raceway - Walworth, WI

September 13, 2025

Round 2 of 17

The Champ Returns To Form 

(Walworth, WI) -- Dean Strom has been looking for a return visit to victory lane for over two years, at Bermuda Raceway, he found the path and took home the trophy for the IndySlotCar 500th Grand Prix. "The Champ" qualified on the front row and passed his former FAST teammate Matt Hayek early in their heat race en route to the win. Strom and the #10 DHL FAST Honda-Daboiler carried that momentum in to the final where he opened up a sizable lead by half distance, the crew did their job with a smooth pit stop and sent the West Allis native back out to manage his lead right to the checkers, while only barely seeing runner-up Mike Kristof in his rear view mirror. 

It was Strom's 21st career victory and his first since cutting down the nets at March Madness at Raven Raceway in March of 2023. With the win, the 2021-22 Husarsbilt Cup champion leaps from seventh to second in the young season's standings. Speaking of remarkable leaps in the points, Kristof's surprise second place takes the Good Vibes Racing #20 Chevrolet-Daboiler pilot from tenth to fifth, the seasoned veteran was making his first final appearance since that same March Madness that Strom won in 2023.

Matt Hayek followed his sweeping victory at the Mini Mile with his second Firestone P1 Award at Bermuda and a solid run to fourth, making his second final in a row, after not finding the feature all of last season. Meanwhile, his former FAST teammate, Mike Lack, scored his career best finish at Bermuda Raceway with a run to third, the only other driver to make both finals this season. Hayek carries the points lead into the Fall Brawl in two weeks at the Road Course at Badger Raceway.

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IndySlotCar 500th Grand Prix  fast facts  

Race date: Saturday, Sep 13

Track: Bermuda Raceway, 1.8 mile road course in Walworth, WI

Race distance:  20 minutes

Twitter:  @indyslotcar

IndySlotCar Website: indyslotcar.com

Spring 2025 race winner: Ev Kamikawa (No. 12 Team PenskeHO)

Spring 2025 Firestone P1 Award winner: Ev Kamikawa (No. 12 Team PenskeHO)

One-lap qualifying record: Dan Margetta, 2.292 seconds; 2019

Track record: Joe Heitz, 426 laps; 2019

YouTube Broadcast: IndySlotCar Channel

At-track schedule (all times local):

12:00 – Gates open

12:30 – Driver introductions

1:00 – Chassis distribution/Drivers’ Meeting

1:05 – IndySlotCar Series Practice

1:30 – Qualifying for the Firestone P1 Award (group qualifying/ fastest single lap)

2:00 – Heat races

2:45 – IndySlotCar 500th Grand Prix (20 minute final)

Race Notes:

• Matt Hayek opened the season with a sweep of pole, most laps in the finals and the Trokan Cup 500 victory, the #15 FAST II: The Castaways Honda-Daboiler driver’s first in two years, at the exact same event. It was Hayek’s 23rd career win, pulling him equal with Hall of Famer Jim Kaehny, tied at eighth on the all-time Wins list.

• Ev Kamikawa is the defending race winner at Bermuda Raceway, where at the penultimate round of the 24-25 season, the #12 Team PenskeHO pilot took pole and the checkers, his fifth victory of that season.

• The 500th race of the IndySlotCar Series took 32 seasons and two races, at this rate the 1000th race would be in 2057. There have been 60 drivers in these 500 events that have made a start, 29 different race winners and 30 Firestone P1 Award winners. There have been 5333 entries for those 500 races, averaging 11 per race over the series history, the highest average was in 2008-09 at 14, last season was a healthy 13 per race. The largest fields have been 16 entrants, including at the Shrine Cup at the The Shrine Desert Road Course in April of 2023, Outpost Natural Foods GP atg Runaway Bay in March of 2010 and the Deckertring Grand Prix in March 2009. Mike Lack holds the record for most Husarsbilt Cup championships with seven, also the most race wins with 56, pole positions, also 56. Dan Margetta leads all the other categories, Heat wins: 153, Finals: 214, Starts: 423, Laps: 87,905 and DNFs: 93. His 423 starts means he has participated in 84.6% of all the races. Ironically, he will not be at the 500th.

BERMUDA RACEWAY HISTORY (8 events, 2017 – present)

Date Race Winner       Track                     Event Name

12/14/2017 Matt Hayek Christmas Classic Bermuda Raceway

12/13/2018 Mike Kristof Shorewest Christmas Classic Bermuda Raceway

12/19/2019 Joe Heitz Christmas Classic Bermuda Raceway

12/17/2020 Bill Black Christmas Classic Bermuda Raceway

12/16/2021 Dean Strom Styled Aesthetic Christmas Classic Bermuda Raceway

12/15/2022 John Wiedemann Christmas Classic Bermuda Raceway

12/21/2023 John Wiedemann Christmas Classic Bermuda Raceway 

4/10/2025 Ev Kamikawa The Shrine Cup Bermuda Raceway

Multiple winners: John Wiedemann – 2